The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
Rocket alerts activated in towns near Lebanon border
Incoming rocket sirens sound in several northern communities near the border with Lebanon.
Iran puts forces on full alert, will respond directly to alleged Israeli strike in Syria — report
Two Iranian officials quoted by The New York Times say Iran has put its military forces on “full high alert.”
The officials say Iran has made a decision to directly attack Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike on Monday that killed a top Iranian commander in Syria and several other Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, and in order to create deterrence.
Meanwhile, a US official says the United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.
“We’re definitely at a high state of vigilance,” the official says in confirming a CNN report that says an attack could come in the next week.
A senior administration official who spoke with CNN says the US is bracing for a “significant” attack and that both Washington and Jerusalem believe an Iranian response is “inevitable.”
Senior Israeli official denies Hamas gave answer to latest hostage deal proposal
The mediators of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are failing to exert any pressure on the terror group, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
While CNN reported earlier today that Hamas turned down Israel’s latest hostage deal proposal, the senior Israeli official says that Jerusalem has still not received any answer from the terror group.
Hamas leader Yahya “Sinwar is dragging his feet and does not want a deal, despite Israel’s tremendous flexibility,” the senior Israeli official claims.
“No pressure [on Hamas] is being jointly applied by the Qatar-led mediators. Qatar has refrained from deporting the Hamas leaders it hosts, nor has it closed their bank accounts, which hold hundreds of millions of dollars used for terrorism,” the senior Israeli official asserts.
“Sinwar does not want a deal. He is not interested in the suffering of his people in Gaza,” the official continues. “He is waiting for tensions to increase and for there to be further escalation.”